Agric students appeal to govt for employment

Students of Agricultural Colleges in the country have appealed to the government to directly offer them employment after completing their education.

Currently, there are five state agriculture colleges in the country, namely: The Kwadaso and Ejura agricultural colleges in the Ashanti Region, the Damongo Agricultural College and Pong Veterinary College in the Northern Region and the Ohawo Agricultural College in the Volta Region.

The National Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Agricultural College Students’ Union of Ghana (ACSU), Mr Benjamin Ginab, who made the appeal in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said offering direct employment for agricultural students after completing their education was a positive step to reduce graduate unemployment and also boost agriculture.

He said such an opportunity would also make it attractive for students to pursue courses at the agricultural institutions and improve farmer/ agricultural extension and veterinary officer ratio.

A three-page resolution adopted by the ACSU and signed by both the National President of ACSU, Jafouk Moses Suuk, and the National Secretary, Collins Appiah-Kubi, at Ejura after the 34th National Delegates Conference of the union, appealed to the government to develop infrastructural facilities of the various agricultural colleges in order to create a conducive environment for teaching and learning.

It noted that as a result of lack of infrastructure to accommodate students, some lecture halls had been turned into dormitories.

The resolution, a copy of which was made available to the Daily Graphic, called on the government to upgrade agricultural colleges, particularly, Ejura and Damongo, which awards certificates, to diploma awarding institutions.

It expressed worry over the delay in the payment of students’ allowances and the inadequate number of teachers at the various colleges to provide the needed tuition for excellent academic work.

It called for better supervision in the morning practical works done by all the agric colleges, expressing disgust that some students were sometimes assigned to wash their lecturers’ vehicles or were used for other things than to allow them concentrate on the practical works.

The students appealed to the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) to improve and renovate mechanisation centres in the various agricultural colleges and provide them with buses for educational trips and other related activities.